New video guides, classic stadiums available on Marketplace; courses for Tiger, alternate uniforms for NCAA, videos for NBA Live coming.

Electronic Arts has a firm hold on sports games, with franchises like Madden NFL, NCAA Football, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, NBA Live, and others under its belt. Even though a slew of themes and picture packs based on those games is available for the Xbox 360, little in-game content from those titles has been posted on Xbox Live.

Today, the first premium EA Sports-related items that move beyond dashboard aesthetics became available on Xbox Live Marketplace. And, according to EA, that's just the beginning. The publisher will be rolling out regular content for all of its sports titles.

The first downloads available are video strategy guides for both Madden NFL 07 and NCAA Football 07 and classic stadiums for Madden. The videos, four for Madden and four for NCAA, are each approximately five minutes long and cover the finer points of rushing, passing, run defense, and pass defense. Each video is 160 Marketplace points ($2.00). The LA Rams Classic Stadium and Seattle Seahawks Classic Stadium are also available and run 300 points ($3.75) apiece.

More content will be "coming soon," including video guides for NBA Live 07, courses and pro-shop items for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, more stadiums and alternate uniforms for Madden NFL 07, and alternate uniforms for NCAA Football 07.

For more information on EA Sports' Xbox Live Marketplace initiative and a video preview of Madden NFL 07's rushing strategy guide, check out GameSpot's interview with Chip Lange, EA's vice president of online commerce.

EA , man they are lazy .....The madden 07 doesn't even have a Superbowl celerbration....The game just shows stats and say exit....EA you stink...yea and like the guy stated the charging for everylittle thing is getting out of hand when it should be in the game....I can believe that EA is that stupid...Im not buying any additional downloads.....I mean it!

Manatassi Yes, people do hate microtransactions. You just have no choice if you want new stuff. I hate buying gas every week, but I'm not walking all the way to work everyday to say "Screw you Exxon!" Plenty of people are complaining about the PS3 price, but you know they'll still buy it. People like to complain about things, even when they have a choice. Welcome to the country we call the U.S. of A.

I will not buy these downloads. EA and Microsoft have ripped me off enough. Charging extra for instructions and uniforms? Ridiculous. However, with no competition, EA has no reason to include these "extras" in the game, and everything to gain by saving it for a download. If people buy these things, EA will start charging for everything. You want weather in a game? $2.00. You want updated rosters? $10.00. This is going to get out of hand quickly. There is no legitimate reason to charge for these items. If they were charging to download classic teams with player names, I could accept paying extra because they would have to be paying extra to use the names. But these are just items EA held back to make more money. Don't give in, people!!!

This is pretty lame, but it's the business model best suited to bottom lines. Game companies are exist because they're a company, which is analgous to "profit generator." I don't think you can call something like microtransactions, regardless of what the transactions might be, as unethical unless: 1) They're necessary in someway, rather than superfluous 2) EA has a monopoly on content. I'm not referring to the license for professional football, but microtransactions. The license issue should be directed toward the NFL. Personally I refrain from microtransactions unless they're really desirable, like extra maps in Call of Duty 2.

i could care less. i just get madden from my friends after they finish a season, its still where they left it a year ago covered in dust. i wouldnt pay for madden let alone spend my bucks on old stadiums simply because they didnt want to put them on the disc. its stupid. i hate ea now.....and when the new burnout comes out, ill be one stupid idiot before i buy a new track, and when the new black is released, i wouldnt buy a gun for it.

I agree completely with Hagame. Moreover, EA will get you one way or another - whether it be by microtransactions or in-store purchases. Here's an example: Gamestop lists two versions of Need 4 Speed Carbon on the 360 - the basic one at 59.99, and the "Collector's Edition" at 69.99. The collector's edition includes "3 new cars, 10 specially tuned cars, 6 new races, 10 exclusive vinyl kits, and a bonus DVD." Charging extra for 3 "new" cars, 10 "specially" tuned cars, and 6 "new" races is just wrong - how are these things "new" or "special." Collector's editions are supposed to be about hardcore fan service (see Final Fantasy XII, Splinter Cell Double Agent, etc.), special controllers (see Tekken 5), or little trinkets/toys/tins etc. Collector's editions should not be used as an opportunity to include the remaining gameplay elements you intentionally left out of the basic game.

EA is only doing what it thinks is right, although clearly it is not. I realy hope this dl content for money dosent get out of hand. And im afraid it wil. The ghost recon pack was good -- and the dl content for lego star wars was a great caluw 2.00 for 50char -- and i dl some of the oblivion stuff (wizards tower) but i really feel as if they should include alot of the little things in the game for free.

it's just sad the direction things are going. I can see it now. $79.99 for "Madden 09 framework" - it comes with 2 playable teams and one stadium. Everything else is purchased online a-la-carte. And who knows, with consumables, they can make players fatigue only replenish if you buy virtual gatorade for 100 a bottle. The bizarre and near-unethical things companies come up with to take our money will astonish us in the next year or so. And the only way we can control it is by not buying into it.

mrfoo thats because people obviously dont hate microtransactions, if they hated them they wouldnt be paying for them and if you look at the sales figures that clearly isnt a problem. Sony and Nintendo are also jumping on this bandwagon, I mean take a look at sony theyre even releasing a bare bones game and forcing people to pay to unlock everything in the damn thing.

Alternate uniforms and extra stadiums used to be included in the purchase price of these games. Now the games cost $10 more at retail and you have to get nickel and dimed for this stuff on top of that? Screw you EA. I'm sure there are plenty of rubes out there who are eager to pay you to screw them, but I will not be one of them. You usually have to at least buy someone dinner before you try screwing them like that.

From what I've seen, people hate microtransactions. Why doesn't the press pick up on this? Where's Gamespots feature about the little guy gettin screwed by paying money for stuff that should be free. They are AFRAID to bring it up! EA would slap them with restrictions on early copies, or some other sanction. For that matter, why hasn't anyone called out EA on their terrible games since the exclusivity deal? -ESPN license? Bought it so sega couldn't have it, now EA doesnt even use it! -ONLY 1 OR 2 PLAYER MADDEN?!?!?!? WHY WON'T THE PRESS MENTION THAT?!?!? Co-Op or 2-on-2 is a madden tradition! -Don't even have time or space to list all the missing features in our $60 games. What next? Fighting games where you only have 6 fighters and 3 backgrounds, then pay $$$ for the rest? How about race games with 5 cars and a few tracks? Want more?? $$$$$!!! Just exasperates me what people get away with!!

Microtransactions... So why am I supposed to be excited for next gen? Computer games have sported community mods for years with many top notch mods available for free. More and more I see myself going towards PC gaming for my next major hardware purchase...

this is very outrageous. first they make us pay 60 for 20% complete next-gen titiles and now this? does anyone else thinks that there new games play and feel weird? I dont know what happen to the transition from current gen to next gen. Is it impossible for them to make their games look like that nfl draft day commercial or there just lazy?

thank you Scotteric, it isnt all of EA's fault. It is M$ who is supposed to be running this online market place. They have the authority to make rules about content downloading. Dont trash EA because they are doing something that M$ is allowing, trash M$ because they cant stand up for their console owners(like myself) Im sick of this, write a letter to the men and women who run M$ xbox live, not EA. This is a problem at the core of live, not ea's take on the system

Free content is great. Arcade games are great, no quibbles with pricing there.... however, for the rest of microtransactions Microsoft should put a few controls in place... 1) No pay-for download content until 60 days after the games release 2) Content that does not add gameplay (jerseys, colors, decorations, skins) cannot be priced above 100 MSFT per item. 3) No content, gameplay adding or otherwise, should cost above the price of a high end arcade game (1000 MSFT)

Be advised that the "courses and pro-shop items for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07", mentioned in this story are more than likely not "additional" courses or items... they are locked content for which you are "paying" to have unlocked. This is what Chip Lange alluded to when IGN called him on it in their interview on this same story today. Paying for locked content goes against my grain. But here I was thinking that we were going to be seeing additional courses (beyond the advertised 12) available for as purchaseable downloads. This just puts a bigger cloud of uncertainty on Tiger Woods 07 360, in my opinion.

I feel there are too many corporations taken advantage of people and it seems to get worse by the day. This is just a good example. I think people got to remember WE are the reason they are able to do this and WE are the reason they make money.

This makes me HATE EA even more!!!! How dare they charge, for "classic stadium down loads. For that I'm trading in Madden 07 for splinter cell 4! I don't blame M$ for this this is EA's doing. DIE EA DIE!!!!!

I knew downloadable content would be abused since the idea was 1st used on xbox 1. This gets me MAD. They leave content out of a game on purpose. How come PC downloads are free? So far Sony and Nintendo are offering free online abilities with there upcoming systems so what is Microsoft to do with theres? The reason they do this is because people are buying them. Your telling me the gamer pictures from games take money while others offer free ones? I hate the gamer pictures because you are paying to sponser there icons next to your gamertag.

PLEASE, people...I'm BEGGING you...don't buy this stuff. The ONLY way to send EA a message that their would-be customers are tired of their crap is to no longer buy their crap DeeCrutch, If EA didnt have this option available to them we wouldnt have this problem, its not only EA's fault, I put this blame on M$ for showing them how to do things like this! Games for download are fine, but M$ went to far allowing publishers offer things like this!

PLEASE, people...I'm BEGGING you...don't buy this stuff. The ONLY way to send EA a message that their would-be customers are tired of their crap is to no longer buy their crap. I will NOT pay for things such as jerseys and stadiums that USED TO BE IN THE GAME FOR FREE, and I urge anyone who might be reading this to do the same. EA has pretty much lost any respect I ever had for them with the things they are trying to pull this year. I have always been a guy who loved both Madden and Live over the years, but after EA gave 360 owners half a version of Madden 2 years in a row, and after what's been done in Live since 2004(the last good Live...), and now with this 'pay for free stuff' thing that they are doing, I've about had it with them. Whatever respect I had for them is gone, and seeing things like this will eventually make that lack of respect turn into outright hatred. Please send them a message by not buying into the crap that they are selling. The only thing they understand these days is money, and the only way to get to them is by not giving them your money. I urge everyone who sees this not to buy the content. And not only that, but tell your friends/family/other gaming buddies not to buy it as well.

Ok we have to pay for the uniforms but current gen get them for free! Rip off. Why can't we atleast unlock them this pisses me off. Thanks ea. whats next tiger wood pga tour 2007 starts charging up for different color grass. I bet need for speed is going to charge us 5.00 for rims.

The fact they're already announcing stuff for titles not released yet shows how much microtransactions have changed the way games are released. It used to be you could unlock this bonus stuff with Madden cards or whatever, now, after paying a premium $10 more than the current gen price, we have to shell out even more money for what we used to get for free. Don't expect things to get better either, as the PS3 and Wii seem set on doing this as well. Of course, there are many out there with a lot of money, but no brains ($1 million profit from map downloads for COD2's crappy multiplayer?), so expect things to get worse. The "Evil Empire" is changing the industry yet again!

thanks EA for having worse ideas then your products (NBA Live anyone?), why dont they just remake nba live 03 then id actually buy it. And um 300 points for a stadium? yeah thats a grrrrrreat price....i mean come on I can almost get an arcade game for that much, what happened to the days of unlocking that with madden cards? oh yeah they were replaced with the hall of famers, that fudge up ur franchise. Thanks EA!